Home /  Blog

From the blog

Helpful articles for CPAs.

Practical writing on practice equity, buyouts, concentration risk, and the tax questions that shape a CPA's retirement.

Retirement PlanningJune 26, 2026

Could Your Retirement Timeline Survive a Bad Practice Sale Year?

Picture a CPA practice owner with a clean retirement date in mind. The calendar seems reasonable, the firm has value, the revenue base is steady, and the practice has supported a good lifestyle for years. The owner expects that a sale, buyout, or succession arrangement will help finish the retirement plan. Then the sale year […]

Retirement PlanningJanuary 22, 2026

New Year, New Priorities: A 12‑Month Retirement Action Plan for CPA Firm Owners

New Year, New Priorities: A 12‑Month Retirement Action Plan for CPA Firm Owners It’s early January. You’ve wrapped up year-end work, deadlines are piling up again, and your firm’s numbers look strong. Then it hits you: you’ve spent another year fine‑tuning strategies for everyone else while your own retirement strategy is still on the “later” […]

Retirement PlanningDecember 1, 2025

Advanced Bond Laddering Strategies: Strengthening Retirement Income

Retirement planning is ultimately about building confidence in your long-term financial picture. Markets move, tax laws change, and interest rates rarely sit still for long. In this shifting environment, many practice owners look for strategies that provide steadiness and a way to create order and predictability without sacrificing flexibility. Bond laddering has long been one […]

Retirement PlanningDecember 1, 2025

Part 2: Coordinating Retirement and Succession for Your CPA Practice

Integrating Retirement Planning Across Succession Phases In Part 1, we looked at how retirement planning strengthens the core pillars of a CPA firm’s succession strategy, from retaining key staff to easing buyouts and managing liquidity. Today, we’re taking the next step: walking through each phase of a real-world succession—Preparation, Transition, and Post-Transition—and showing how retirement […]

Retirement PlanningNovember 3, 2025

Year-End Moves for CPA Firm Owners Nearing Retirement

The year is drawing to a close, and if you’re approaching retirement, you could be facing a unique window of opportunity. You’re likely closing client books and sending out tax reminders. At the same time, you could be implementing strategies that reduce your own taxes, bolster retirement savings, and set the stage for a smooth […]

Retirement PlanningOctober 10, 2025

Social Security for CPAs: Why the 2025 Rule Changes Rewrite Old Strategies

In 1983, Congress rewired Social Security to survive another generation. Among other shifts, that law set a slow-motion rise in the Full Retirement Age that would not fully hit until those born in 1960 reached their sixties. The last decade brought more change. Popular maneuvers like file-and-suspend and restricted applications faded into the history books, […]

Retirement PlanningOctober 1, 2025

Maximizing Tax Efficiency with CPA Retirement Plans

It’s December, and you realize you’ll owe a hefty sum to the IRS. Instead of writing that check to Uncle Sam, what if you could funnel a big chunk of that money into your own retirement savings and get a tax break for doing so? The final quarter is a critical window for CPAs who […]

Retirement PlanningSeptember 18, 2025

When to Use Private Placement Life Insurance

High income and successful business growth come with a catch: greater exposure to taxes, market volatility, and estate planning challenges. In an era of rising tax uncertainty and longer lifespans, even financially savvy professionals can feel overwhelmed by how to shield wealth from taxes while securing a comfortable retirement. The good news is that there […]

Retirement PlanningAugust 8, 2025

What Insurance Policies Should Go In Trusts?

Over your career as a CPA practice owner, you’ve likely built up a variety of financial assets – from retirement accounts to maybe a couple of insurance policies. As retirement approaches, it’s natural to wonder if you’ve structured everything optimally. One area that often flies under the radar is how your insurance policies are owned. […]

Retirement PlanningAugust 6, 2025

Does the One Big Beautiful Bill Affect Your CPA Retirement?

Imagine looking up from a busy tax season and discovering that Congress just passed a sweeping new tax law with the audacious name “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” Signed into law over the July 4, 2025 weekend, this multitrillion-dollar package blends major tax cuts with spending changes to the social safety net1. As a CPA […]

Retirement PlanningJuly 3, 2025

When Should CPAs Claim Social Security? Part 2

In Part One, we established the foundational framework for Social Security claiming decisions: understanding how your claiming age affects benefits, analyzing break-even scenarios, evaluating personal health and longevity expectations, considering work status implications, and assessing immediate financial needs. These core factors create the analytical foundation every CPA needs before diving into more sophisticated optimization strategies. […]

Retirement PlanningJuly 2, 2025

When Should CPAs Claim Social Security? Part 1

One of the most pivotal questions you’ll face when planning your retirement will likely be: When should I start claiming my Social Security benefits? It’s a more complex decision than it might appear. Modern retirement planning has evolved: Americans are living longer, nest eggs often need to stretch further, and interest rates and markets fluctuate. […]

General AdviceFebruary 27, 2025

How to Monetize Illiquid Assets as a CPA Practice Owner

As a CPA practice owner, you’ve devoted years to building your business. But have you considered how that business will fund your retirement? To exit on your terms with a comfortable retirement, you need a plan to turn your illiquid business into reliable retirement income. Your practice is likely one of your largest assets, yet […]

General AdviceOctober 31, 2024

Safeguarding Your CPA Partnership with a Buy-Sell Agreement

With over 4.4 million partnerships in the U.S. alone (and $3.9 trillion in income passed through to partners in 2021), it’s clear that a multitude of businesses have plenty on the line when it comes to their inevitable transitions and dissolutions, including CPA firms like your own. In our last article, we showcased how key-person […]

Retirement PlanningMay 17, 2023

What is an annuity?

Discover the ins and outs of annuities as a key tool for secure retirement planning and how they can provide a steady income in retirement.

TaxesFebruary 10, 2023

Tax Tips CPAs Need to Know Now

As a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), staying current on the latest tax laws and regulations is essential to provide the best service for your clients. However, the stressors of tax season can cause even the most diligent CPA to neglect their own accounting practices at the expense of their future golden years. Here are some […]

Social SecurityJanuary 31, 2023

Social Security Planning for Married Couples

As CPAs, it is essential to assist clients in making informed decisions about their retirement planning, particularly regarding Social Security benefits – and this knowledge will eventually become valuable for CPAs themselves. Improper timing can lead to thousands of lost potential dollars at a time when every dollar counts, and the consequences can last a […]

Secure 2.0January 26, 2023

The Tax Implications of Secure 2.0 for CPAs

On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the Securing a Strong Retirement Act, also known as SECURE 2.0, into law. This legislation brings about various changes to the retirement landscape. This article focuses on the tax implications for both individuals and employers, many of which significantly affect Certified Public Accountants professionally and personally. New RMD […]

Social SecurityJanuary 25, 2023

Should you delay social security benefits?

Social Security is an essential source of retirement income for many Americans, including Certified Public Accountants. This holds especially true when considering the current state of retirement statistics. The combination of inadequate savings rates, prolonged retirements, and extended lifespans can easily throw a wrench even into the soundest retirement plans. Therefore, deciding when to start […]

Want this in your inbox? Start with a free webinar.

See upcoming webinars →

Get started

Schedule your initial meeting.

A first conversation to understand your situation. No obligation, and no product pitch.

  • We start with your practice, your timeline, and your goals.
  • You leave with clarity, whether or not you work with us.
  • Everything is framed as education, backed by written schedules.

* indicates a required field